Variable resistance exercise device

ABSTRACT

A variable resistance exercise device is used by swimmers to hold them in place while swimming and to give the swimmer progressive resistance during the swim. The device is also usable on land and has a housing with an upper pulley and a lower pulley as well as an upper roller and a lower roller. A tension cord is attached to a shaft, the working length of the cord being changeable, and passes over the upper roller and the lower pulley while a rope is attached to the cord and passes over the upper pulley and has an attachment hook on its end for attaching to a swimmer or an exercise accessory. The attachment hook can also be attached to a lower rope that passes over the lower roller and has a hook on its end.

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/187,148 filed on Mar. 6, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a variable resistance exercise device that can be used within a swimming pool as well as on land in order to perform a variety of tension-based exercises.

[0004] 2. Background of the Prior Art

[0005] Swimming has long been recognized as an excellent all round exercising method for both muscular toning and development as well as cardiovascular improvement. As swimming is a non-impact physical endeavor, it is gentle on the bones and joints of the swimmer allowing an individual, even one suffering from arthritis or other ailments, to exercise substantially longer relative to impact exercises such as running, without undue impact on the bones and joints.

[0006] The common technique employed by many swimmers is to simply swim laps back and forth from one end of the swimming pool to the other. While lap swimming is a good exercising routine, it has certain drawbacks. The only main variable that a lap swimmer controls is speed through the water. An increase in swimming speed increases the heart rate but does not offer a substantial gain to the swimmer desirous of muscle development. Additionally, a lap swimmer desires to swim a long distance before having to make a turn and many swimmers have relatively small swimming pools making the swimming of laps very difficult if not near impossible.

[0007] In order to overcome the drawbacks associated with traditional lap swimming, various devices and techniques have been proposed. Some such devices allow an individual to experience greater resistance during a swim than the resistance offered by the water alone. Additional prior art devices allow a swimmer to remain relatively stationary within a body of water so that turning at the end of the body of water is eliminated, in order to overcome problem of a relatively small size of the body of water. However, the problem with some of the prior art devices and techniques is their inability to overcome all of the problems encountered by a swimmer who is desirous of a total swimming workout while other prior art devices and techniques are unduly complex in design and construction and are relatively difficult to install and use.

[0008] Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a device that overcomes the above-stated shortcomings in the art by providing a device that allows a user to increase the resistance experienced during swimming. A swimmer employing such a device must be able to use the device in very small bodies of water without the need to perform turns within the body of water. Such a device must be of relatively simple design and construction and must be easy to install and use. Ideally, such a device will provide versatility to a user by allowing the user to perform various exercises with the device on land.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The variable resistance exercise device of the present invention addresses the aforementioned needs in the art. Specifically, the device allows a swimmer to variably increase the resistance experienced during a swim relative to the resistance offered by the water alone. The variable resistance exercise device holds the swimmer stationary so that the device can be used in very small bodies of water without the necessity of the swimmer performing frequent turns. The present invention is of relatively simple design and construction and is easy to use and install. The device allows a user to perform a plethora of exercises on land.

[0010] The variable resistance exercise device of the present invention is comprised of a housing having an upper pulley rotatably attached to the housing and a lower pulley rotatably attached to the housing. An upper roller is also rotatably attached to the housing. A resilient tension cord has a working length, a first end attached to the housing, and a second end, such that the tension cord passes over the upper roller and the lower pulley. A first rope has a third end attached to the second end of the cord and a fourth end and passes over the upper pulley. A first hook is attached to the fourth end of the first rope and is located external of the housing. A first opening having a slot, and a corresponding second opening are located on the housing. A shaft has a pin passing through a third opening therethrough, with the shaft being receivable within the first opening and the second opening with the pin being receivable within the slot so as prevent rotation of the shaft. The first end of the tension cord is attached to the shaft and is windable about the shaft. A pair of caps are provided and each cap is attached to an end of the shaft. A second hook is attached to the housing while a lower roller is rotatably attached to the housing. A second rope having a looped fifth end that is removably attachable to the first hook, and a a sixth end and passes over the lower roller. A third hook is attached to the sixth end of the second rope. A pliable cover is attached to the first rope for removably covering the first hook.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the variable resistance exercise device.

[0012]FIG. 2 is a side sectioned view of the variable resistance exercise device.

[0013]FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the variable resistance exercise device with portions removed for brevity and clarity.

[0014] Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0015] Referring now to the drawings, it is seen that the variable resistance exercise device is comprised of a housing 25 having a forward facing upper opening 27 and lower opening 43 and corresponding rearward facing upper fastener opening 29 and lower fastener opening 30 respectively.

[0016] An upper assembly is comprised of an upper pulley yoke 1 which rotatably holds an upper pulley 2 by passing an appropriate fastener 6 through openings located on the yoke 1 and through the upper pulley 2 such that the upper pulley 2 rotates about the fastener. A first pair of attachment links 3 trap the upper pulley yoke 1 between them. A roller bracket 4 is secured to the lower attachment link 3 by passing an appropriate fastener 8 through an opening located on the roller bracket 4 as well as through forward openings located on each of the first pair of attachment links 3. An upper roller 5 is rotatably secured within the roller bracket 4 by passing an appropriate fastener through openings located on the roller bracket 4 and the through the upper roller 5 such that the upper roller rotates about this fastener. This entire upper assembly is disposed within the housing such that the upper pulley 2 protrudes through the upper opening 27 with the attachment links 3 protruding through the upper fastener opening 29. An upper mounting bracket 21 is attached to a fixed object such as a post or other surface (wall, etc.,) and the first pair of attachment links 3 are secured to the upper mounting bracket 21 by sandwiching the upper mounting bracket 21 between the first pair of attachment links 3 and passing an appropriate fastener 24 through the mounting bracket 21, the first pair of attachment links 3 and the post or other surface. The fastener 24 allows for pivotable attachment of the first pair of attachment links 3 with respect to the upper mounting bracket 21 about the fastener 24. A fastener 28 is passed through openings located on the housing 25 and the upper pulley yoke 1 in order to help stabilize the upper assembly in place. An end cap 26 is placed on the top of the housing 25.

[0017] A lower assembly is comprised of a lower pulley yoke 9 which rotatably holds a lower pulley 10 by passing an appropriate fastener 6 through openings located on the yoke 9 and through the pulley 10 such that the lower pulley 10 rotates about the fastener 6. A second pair of attachment links 11 trap the lower pulley yoke 9 between them. A bracket 17 is secured to the lower attachment link 11 by passing an appropriate fastener 13 through a forward opening located on each of the second pair of attachment links 11 as well as through a rearward opening located on the bracket 17. An outside roller bracket 14 rotatably holds an lower roller 15 by passing an appropriate fastener 16 through openings located on the outside roller bracket 14 as well as through the lower roller 15 such that the lower roller 15 rotates about this fastener 16. The entire lower assembly is disposed within the housing 25 such that the lower roller 15 extends from the lower opening 43 and the second pair of attachment links 11 protrude through lower fastener opening 30. A lower mounting bracket 22, vertically aligned with the upper mounting bracket 21, is also attached to a fixed object such as the post or other surface and the second pair of attachment links 11 are secured to the lower mounting bracket 22 by sandwiching the lower mounting bracket 22 between the second pair of attachment links 11 and passing an appropriate fastener 23 through the mounting bracket 22, the second pair of attachment links 11 and the post or other surface. The fastener 23 allows for pivotable attachment of the second pair of attachment links 11 with respect lower mounting bracket 22 device with respect to the post or other surface about the fastener 23. A fastener 13 is passed through a forward opening of the bracket 17 and through the bottom of the housing 25 in order to help stabilize the lower assembly in place.

[0018] A shaft 19 having a first opening 12 and a second opening 31 passes through a pair of corresponding openings 44 located on the housing 25, one of the openings 44 having a slot 32 therein. A pin 20 is inserted through the first opening 12 and the shaft 19 is passed through the openings 44 located on the housing 25 until the pin 20 is received within the slot 32 of one of the openings 44 located on the housing 25 which prevents rotation of the shaft 19. End caps 18 are placed on either end of the shaft 19 to prevent shifting of the shaft 19. The shaft 19 is now held fixedly in place and is not free to rotate.

[0019] A first end of a resilient tension cord 33 is passed through the second opening 31 of the shaft 19 and is secured in placed by either knotting this end of the cord 33 or by attaching an appropriate stop device 34 to this end. The cord 33 passes over the upper roller 5 and then extends down through the housing 25 and passes over the lower pulley 10. A rope 35 is attached to the second end of the cord 33 by knotting the two 33 and 35 together or by using an appropriate attachment device 36. The rope 35 extends upwardly through the housing 25 and passes over the upper pulley 2 and exits the housing 25 through upper opening 27. An attachment hook 37 is secured to the end of the rope 35. The hook 37 can be covered by an appropriate pliable guard 38.

[0020] An upper hook 42 is attached to the housing 25. An lower cord 41 has a looped first end which can be removably secured to the upper hook 42, the lower cord 41 passing over lower roller 15. A lower hook 42 is attached to the opposing end of the lower cord 41.

[0021] In order to use the variable resistance exercise device of the present invention, the attachment hook 37 is secured to a swim belt (not illustrated) of a swimmer. The swimmer, attached to the device, enters the water and begins swimming. The device holds the swimmer in place while the swimmer is swimming. If the swimmer begins to swim harder, the tension cord 33 provides progressive resistance allowing for a stronger workout. As the device is swivelly attached to the mounting brackets 21 and 22, the swimmer can deviate to the left or to the right with the device swiveling in response.

[0022] If desired, an appropriate attachment device, such as a lat bar, triceps rope, etc., can be attached to the attachment hook 37 in order to use the device on land for lat pull downs, tricep curls, etc. Additionally, the looped end of the lower cord 41 can be attached to the attachment hook 37 and an appropriate attachment device is attached to the lower hook 42 in order to perform appropriate exercises such as seated rows, bicep curls, shoulder lifts, etc.

[0023] The overall tension of the tension cord 33 can be changed by removing one of the end caps 18 from the shaft 19 (the end cap 18 that on the opposing side of slot 32), and the shaft 19 is moved so that pin 20 is removed from the slot 32. The shaft 19 is rotated so as to wind a length of the cord onto the shaft 19, and the shaft 19 is reinserted so that pin 20 is again received within slot 32 and the end cap 18 is replaced. The overall working length of the tension cord 33 is now shorter so that the any exercise performed using the device will give the user greater resistance and an overall greater workout. If tension on the cord 33 is to be decreased, the above process is repeated to allow a length of the cord 33 to be unwound from the shaft 19.

[0024] While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to an embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

I claim:
 1. A variable resistance exercise device comprising: a housing; an upper pulley rotatably attached to the housing; a lower pulley rotatably attached to the housing; an upper roller rotatably attached to the housing; a resilient tension cord having a working length, a first end attached to the housing, and a second end, the tension cord passing over the upper roller and the lower pulley; a first rope having a third end attached to second end of the cord and a fourth end, the first rope passing over the upper pulley; and a first hook attached to the fourth end of the first rope and located external of the housing.
 2. The variable resistance exercise device as in claim 1 further comprising means for varying the working length of the tension cord.
 3. The variable resistance exercise device as in claim 2 wherein the means for varying the working length is comprised of: a first opening having a slot, and a corresponding second opening located on the housing; a shaft having a pin passing through a third opening, the shaft receivable within the first opening and the second opening with the pin receivable within the slot; and wherein the first end of the tension cord is attached to the shaft is windable about the shaft.
 4. The variable resistance exercise device as in claim 3 further comprising a pair of caps, each attached to an end of the shaft.
 5. The variable resistance exercise device as in claim 1 further comprising: a first opening having a slot, and a corresponding second opening located on the housing; a shaft having a pin passing through a third opening, the shaft receivable within the first opening and the second opening with the pin receivable within the slot; and wherein the first end of the tension cord is attached to the shaft is windable about the shaft.
 6. The variable resistance exercise device as in claim 5 further comprising a pair of caps, each attached to an end of the shaft.
 7. The variable resistance exercise device as in claim 1 further comprising: a second hook attached to the housing; a lower roller rotatably attached to the housing; a second rope having a looped fifth end removably attachable to the first hook, and a a sixth end, the second rope passing over the lower roller; and a third hook attached to the sixth end of the second rope.
 8. The variable resistance exercise device as in claim 1 further comprising a pliable cover attached to the first rope for removably covering the first hook. 